GERMANY’S SPD COMES DOWN HARD AND HEAVY ON GLYPHOSATE: Germany’s environment minister has made it official: She and all the ministers in the Social Democratic Party, one of the two parties in Germany’s ruling coalition, will not back European renewal of the weedkiller glyphosate. “The SPD ministers … and I emphasize all SPD ministries — have … decided, to say NO over the re-approval of glyphosate, as long as the health risks are not fully clarified,” German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, an SPD member, said in a long statement. The statement, with a capitalized “NEIN,” came hours before member countries had to submit a response to the European Commission’s last ditch effort for a short term renewal of the pesticide largely sold by Monsanto. More on Pro: http://politi.co/1TuRWWo

— More money, more problems? Meanwhile Monsanto rejected Bayer’s $62 billion takeover bid, in a probable effort to gain more negotiating time and a higher price tag. Monsanto said it was still open to talks with Bayer. More on Pro: http://politi.co/1OLza5O

BIG CHEESES OF GLYPHOSATE DEBATE GATHER: Most of the major players in the glyphosate debate had representatives address Parliament’s ENVI committee to bring them up to speed on the intricacies of their findings. Experts from EFSA, IARC as well as the European Chemicals Agency — which is due to publish the results of its investigation into glyphosate in 2017 — addressed MEPs. We won’t run through the various findings of EFSA and IARC, but it’s worth noting some of the context experts provided.

— EFSA: The representative of the food safety agency responded to criticisms that its study was opaque, saying the summary dossier of EFSA’s glyphosate report was 4,000 pages, and that the full thing was “close to 1 million pages.”

— IARC: IARC’s toxicology specialist Kate Guyton had to fend off criticisms that her organization wasn’t clear enough that it was doing a hazard assessment (as opposed to a risk assessment). She defended the conclusions too: “These are exposures that did occur and cancers did happen.” But she did say the evidence was limited for humans and that not everyone exposed was automatically at risk. Of interest: she cast a subtle jab at EFSA by saying IARC wasn’t beholden to vested interests.

— ECHA: The European Chemicals Agency’s representative, Jack De Bruijn, couldn’t say much other than point out that the process for investigating glyphosate was long, and that ECA was doing a hazard assessment. He said the agency would launch public consultations in June. More: http://bit.ly/1OLuqgL

GOOD MORNING and welcome to Morning Agri! Got Milk? Brainwave: Bring back one of the most successful stroke memorable advertising campaigns of all time and the milk prices will rocket. Certainly flows off the tongue better than “activating the provisions of article 222 of the CMO regulation.” Ahoy — milk crisis roundup below.

**A message from the ECPA: Pesticides play a key part in ensuring sustainability in European agriculture. Higher yields per hectare are enabled, and this saves natural resources. Consider the facts. Join the debate #WithOrWithout #pesticides? **

NEW REPORT SAYS GMOS ABSOLUTELY SAFE TO EAT: The Royal Society, a British science body, released a tell-all report on genetically modified organisms. It was unequivocal: GMOs are safe to eat. “There is no evidence that a crop is dangerous to eat just because it is GM,” it says. “There could be risks associated with the specific new gene introduced, which is why each crop with a new characteristic introduced by GM is subject to close scrutiny. Since the first widespread commercialization of GM produce 18 years ago there has been no evidence of ill effects linked to the consumption of any approved GM crop.” The report responded to other common concerns too, a selection of which are below.

— Do GM crops damage the environment? The Royal Society said farming practices and overuse of herbicides can harm the environment, but there was no evidence GM crops in particular were a problem.

— What are the unforeseen costs of GM crops? The Royal Society said there’s no discernible difference between GM crops and conventionally bred crops.

— GM crops are new. Could there be unnoticed risks? The Royal Society said this is a possibility, and underlined appropriate regulatory regimes.

— And the EU regulatory regime? This wasn’t part of the report, but the President of the Royal Society Professor Venki Ramakrishnan spoke to the BBC and said he an EU ban on the “entire technology” was misplaced. “GM is simply a technology for introducing a particular set of traits into a plant. And you have to decide on a case-by-case basis which of those traits are appropriate or not,” he said.

BIG HAIR DON’T CARE: The European Parliament’s ENVI Committee, however, still isn’t a fan of GMOs. The committee Tuesday approved a pair of resolutions objecting to the pending Commission approval of two genetically modified crops. The committee voted 39-to-23 with one abstention in opposition to a modified carnation and 39-to-24 on a variety of maize. The carnation is modified to have a different flower color, while the maize has been developed by Syngenta to resist certain pests and glyphosate, among other things.

PHOTO ESSAY: France, a nation of farmers who trace their traditions back to medieval times, cultivates the soil with pride. Photographer Jonathan Alpeyrie set out to tell the stories of farmers struggling under what they see as restrictive rules from Brussels and a flagging global economy. This combination has led to a psychological rift with a new world order which farmers say values profit over quality. Their sense of desperation leads not just to revolt but to a wave of suicides in farming communities. Hundreds of French farmers take their own lives each year. The results are devastating, often leaving a family without its breadwinner, in debt and with a farm to maintain. Cast your eyes toward this powerful photo essay: http://politi.co/1TuUiVp

IN MATTERS OF ANIMAL HEALTH, RUSSIAN POLITICIANS GET FREE PASS: The French foreign ministry confirmed that France granted a visa to a Russian minister who is subject to an EU travel ban but insisted the decision was permitted as the official was traveling to an international event. “It is allowed when officials travel for meetings of international organizations such as the U.N. or others,” Nikola Gulievatej, a foreign ministry spokesperson, told POLITICO. Alexander Tkachev, the Russian agriculture minister, attended the annual general session of the World Organisation of Animal Health (known by its French acronym OIE) in Paris this week, created in 1924 to fight animal diseases at the global level. The minister is on a list of 146 people the European Union subjected to asset freezes and travel bans in June 2014 for their part in Crimea’s annexation by Russia. POLITICO’s Pierre Briançon with the story: http://politi.co/1TuZPv1

— Russia and France talk embargo: French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll had a sit down with his Russian counterpart Alexandre Tkatchev in Paris. The two discussed the Russian embargo, as well as Russia’s pigmeat import ban. The atmosphere was “constructive.” More: http://bit.ly/1Tv0ZH6

KUŹMIUK WINS: The Polish ECR MEP Zbigniew Kuźmiuk was elected second vice-chair of the Parliament’s agriculture committee (Lobbyists take note.), confirming rumors heard by Morning Agri. Read up on the man: http://bit.ly/1RnLEAo

HOGAN HINTS AT ALTERNATIVE MILK CRISIS TOOLS: Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan faced demands to take additional steps to tackle flat-lining milk prices Tuesday during an address before the European Parliament. He said he was reluctant to allocate additional money as long as some countries had not used the existing €500-million aid package for struggling farmers the Commission adopted in September. However, he hinted the Commission was considering alternative measures, saying it was studying responses to the crisis in the U.S. — where farmers are insured against the margin between feed and milk prices — and Oceania. More on Pro: http://politi.co/1TuYMLz

— Speaking of milk, EU overproduction isn’t just causing pain at home: The European Milk Board, a lobby group, said European milk producers pumping out milk on the double are punishing counterparts in West Africa. “This overproduction is also dangerous for many producers in West Africa because it is impossible for them to compete with cheap imports from the EU — especially those of milk powder, and this pushes them to the brink of ruin as well,” the group said: http://bit.ly/1OLvjpB

SUPERMARKETS TO THE RESCUE: The Scottish Farmers Union is pressuring big retailers to introduce milk promotion schemes in their stores. One such successful scheme, in England, saw supermarkets sell pints of fresh milk next to sandwiches. “Many hard-working, long-established family dairy farms are under threat and this presents an opportunity to grow the market. If successful, then the key is to ensure the rewards are better shared with as many dairy farmers as possible,” SFU member Graeme Kilpatrick said. More: http://bit.ly/1OLvzEU

COMMISSION APPROVES BEER MEGA MERGER: The European Commission has given the green light for the world’s two largest brewers to merge in a deal worth €92 billion. The approval for AB InBev’s takeover of SABMiller is conditional on the parties selling almost all of SABMiller’s brewing businesses in Europe, including the popular Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch brands. The merger will create a global beer behemoth with a presence spanning the globe. It will bolt SABMiller’s leading presence in fast-growing African and Asian markets onto AB InBev’s established might in the U.S. and Europe. AB InBev’s stable includes the Corona, Stella Artois and Budweiser brands. More on Pro: http://politi.co/1RnJO2n

TRUSS GOES FOR PROJECT POSITIVE: After a series of dire warnings at how much farmers would suffer post-Brexit, U.K. Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Elizabeth Truss changed tactics. She said British farmers could benefit from an extra €360 billion in EU funding earmarked for SMEs. “Investment in additional processing capacity, for example, would help us address the £1.3bn dairy deficit, which means less than half the butter and cheese we eat is made here in the U.K.,” Truss said. More: http://bit.ly/1OTFY6O

HOGAN TO GET CHATTY ON TWITTER: It’s everyone’s favorite format. POLITICO is hosting a Twitter chat with the man of the hour, Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, on Friday morning. You can tweet questions in advance using the hashtag #ProAgriFood. You can also send your questions in advance by email to events@politico.eu.

FAST FOOD:

— Beer is good for you, really: A report commissioned by the British Beer and Pub Association finds that consumers think beer is unhealthy despite being relatively low in sugar as compared to other popular drinks and a source of antioxidants and fiber. Beverage Daily reports: http://bit.ly/1TBuCmX

— AMR documentary: Morning Agri hasn’t watched this BBC panorama documentary because it’s limited to British viewers. But would like to. Just in case: http://bbc.in/1OLwTaS

— Good news: Average Irish farm incomes are rising, despite dairy farms still hemorrhaging money. The Irish Times with more: http://bit.ly/1OLx85G

— EU-Russia impasse: The European Commission admitted it’s not making much headway in reopening Russia to European pork imports. Global Meat News with more: http://bit.ly/1OLwW6G

With thanks to Hanne Cokelaere and Jenny Hopkinson.

**A message from the ECPA: A European Parliament report cites that up to 40% of global crop yields are lost to pests and diseases every year. These losses could double without pesticides. The report: European Union, European Parliament: Draft Report on Technological solutions to sustainable agriculture in the EU (2015/2225(INI)). Consider the facts. Join the debate #WithOrWithout #pesticides?**